Thesis

Catalog description

This first course in the two-course sequence is designed to equip master's level speech pathology students to begin to develop an advanced, high-quality research project in the field. The course will delve into specific research methodologies, study designs, and statistical analyses relevant to a given question related to speech-language pathology. Students will explore quantitative and/or qualitative research approaches, critically evaluate existing literature and gain hands-on experience in designing and implementing a research project including stating a research problem, stating a related research question and designing a methodology to answer the question. Emphasis will be placed on ethical considerations (including completion of ethical-conduct-of-research training and submission of IRB proposals), data collection techniques, and the application of statistical tools to analyze research data. By the end of the course, students will have a solid foundation in research methodology, positioning them to embark on their thesis projects with confidence.